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“Oh man, let me in.” Lara held onto my shoulders as she peered past me. Media and security were milling around the outside of the locker room, with quite a few people allowed through after flashing their press passes.
Erica hadn’t joined us because she had a two month old at home and wanted to get back to her, that is, relieve the babysitter of Sadie’s newfound colic. When she departed, Lara had elbowed me, saying, “I cannot lie; she’s awesome.”
“Agreed,” I’d said as we shuffled with the rest of the crowd out of the concourse. “It’s so biased to say this, but I assumed most of the women I’d meet would be, I don’t know, uppity. Or famous.” I’d thought a moment. “Basically women who were fifty times cooler than five of me combined.”
“You ain’t wrong. She’s very chill.” Lara had jostled me again. “So long as she doesn’t take my place as bestie, I’ll allow her into our inner circle.”
“I’ll let her know she’s in your good graces,” I’d said.
“Keep in mind that she’s so calm and casual because she’s been where you are. Didn’t she say she’s been dating Rodger since high school? I say pick her brain. She’ll offer you a lot of insight.”
“Very true,” I’d said, guiding Lara into the hallway leading to the locker rooms.
I held up my pass, the plastic digging into my palm as I took stock of all the cameras.
“There’s a ton of reporters in there right now,” I said to her. “Probably not a good idea to go in.”
Lara mewled behind me.
“Oh, fine,” I said, leading her over to the left. “Stand here. You can kind of see inside.”
“Bullshit,” Lara said.
Our view was blocked in all directions as press moved through the doorway, and the accompanying security kept an eye on both them and us. One seemed to recognize me and nodded in acknowledgment.
With all the shoes tromping in, I could only make out the blue carpeting of the locker room, and through a shifting of shoulders I also got glimpses of the cubbies each player had. The best angle I had was of the flat screen TVs hanging from the ceiling, maybe eight of them.
That was it, though. As much as I jumped, I couldn’t find Slade’s damp blonde head.
“Ugh, I can’t see them,” Lara said, holding a finger under her nose. “But I can smell ’em.”
“I thought you loved the smell of manly sweat?”
“On a sole male in my bedroom maybe. Not fifty of them in a carpeted room.” She lifted up on her toes. “Lame. Where’s Slade?”
“He’ll pop out soon,” I said. “I want to congratulate him, then we can go.”
Lara replied as she squinted, “Sure wish my X-ray powers were working properly today.”
After fifteen minutes and three assurances to Lara that she should see something soon, a jumble of voices drew my head up. Cameras flashed and equipment clicked as Slade stepped out.
He searched the crowd of people, and stopped as soon as he landed on me. I was already halfway to him, Lara trailing behind, as I jumped and kissed him on the cheek.
“There you are,” I said.
“My two wonderful ladies.” Slade threw an arm around both my and Lara’s shoulders as he lead us out, smiling for the cameras and nodding his head.
Lara glowed, waving queenlike as we drifted through, and I tried to mimic her, pretending that the heat of the attention meant nothing to me.
“I’m glad you waited,” Slade whispered into my ear.
“Are you kidding?” I angled my head so I could see him. “There’s no way I’d leave without congratulating you first.”
“I know.” He tucked a thumb under my chin, kissing me briefly. “The two-point conversion was a risk, but we went on instinct. But now it’s my turn to do something for you. Quick, dive out now and the cameras won’t follow.”
“But—”
“I’ll see you at home, Char. And you can congratulate me any way you want.” He winked, and after a kiss on the top of my head and a ruffle of Lara’s hair, he pushed us out of the thicket and headed back to the locker room before turning to the cameras.
The air was so much cooler outside the circle of media, and I inhaled through my nose, catching the brief tang of male sweat mixed with Lara’s perfume.
“That was brief but awesome,” she said, looping her arm through mine. “Now let’s go find me some lips to nibble on.”
“But of course,” I said as we headed down the hallway. Holding onto Lara, I turned back to catch one last glimpse of Slade shaking hands and throwing out answers with ease, never more at home than he was underneath those cameras’ lights.